General details of this course have already been given in the blog post "Compassion, wisdom & wellbeing: an 8 week training".  Before, during & after the course, there's encouragement to fill in questionnaires.  This is suggested for at least three reasons.  One is that when we measure something, we tend to pay more attention to it.  Keeping track is often a therapeutic intervention in its own right.  Secondly we're using questionnaires to see if changes in our behaviours actually produce the improvements we're hoping for.  Does working through this training over a couple of months genuinely improve our compassion, wisdom & wellbeing?  There are more comprehensive ways to measure this, but questionnaires are 'low tech' and one of the most straightforward ways to asses

A good friend & I have just been sorting out the practical details of running an 8 week course together on "Compassion, wisdom & wellbeing", starting in January.  Some aspects still need to be tweaked, but the basic publicity information runs like this:

"If you want others to be happy, practise compassion.  If you want to be happy, practise compassion."   Dalai Lama

    "Wisdom, compassion, & courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men."    Confucius

I read a lot of research.  When I find an article of particular interest I download it to my bibliographic database - Endnote - which currently contains well over 25,000 abstracts.  I also regularly tweet about emerging research, so following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ (click on the relevant icon at the top of this web page) will keep you up to speed with some of what I'm finding interesting. Additionally you can view this highlighted research by visiting Scoop.it (click on the "it!" icon at the top of the page).  At Scoop.it, I stream publications into five overlapping topic areas: Cognitive & General Psychotherapy, Depression, Compassion & Mindfulness, Healthy Living & Healthy Aging, and Positive Psychology.

This is the fourth & last post in the sequence that starts with "Upgrading the 'breathing space' meditation, some research-based suggestions (1st post): mindfulness & naming" and then goes on to "Upgrading the 'breathing space' meditation ... (2nd post): touch & affectionate releasing" & "Upgrading the 'breathing space' meditation, some research-based suggestions (3rd post): embodied values". 

Reappraisal (changing the meaning we give to experiences) has been repeatedly shown to be one of the most effective ways we have to regulate our emotions.  It's one of the star components of effective emotion-regulation, coping-skill toolkits ... and it's important to realise that these toolkits can be very helpful (De Castella, 2017).  Reappraisal is important across a variety of difficult states ... depression (Cheng, 2017), anxiety (Goldin, 2017), anger, interpersonal conflict, minor hassles (Richardson, 2017), and major life difficulties.

Yesterday I listened to Professor Colin Espie lecture on "What is sleep ... and why does it matter?".   I then went on to his packed two hour workshop on "Assessing and treating insomnia in everyday clinical practice".  I've heard Colin lecture before and been to a full day workshop with him as well, but it's great to get an update on where sleep research & treatment has got to.  Colin is a professor of Sleep Medicine linked with the Oxford 'Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute' and is very much a world expert in this area. 

Here is a downloadable PDF of these abstracts.

U.S, Food & Drug Administration. (2017). Eating fish: What pregnant women and parents should know. U. S. F. D. Administration.

            FDA and EPA have issued advice regarding eating fish. This advice is geared toward helping women who are pregnant or may become pregnant - as well as breastfeeding mothers and parents of young children - make informed choices when it comes to fish that is healthy and safe to eat (however pretty much anyone can benefit by being aware of this information).  The advice includes a chart that makes it easier than ever to choose dozens of healthy and safe options, and a set of frequently asked questions & answers.

Here is a downloadable PDF of these 26 abstracts.

Chamodraka, M., M. R. Fitzpatrick, et al. (2017). "Hope as empowerment model: A client-based perspective on the process of hope development." The Journal of Positive Psychology 12(3): 232-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1225115

Here is a downloadable PDF of these 26 abstracts.

Ainsworth, B., H. Bolderston, et al. (2017). "Testing the differential effects of acceptance and attention-based psychological interventions on intrusive thoughts and worry." Behaviour Research and Therapy 91: 72-77. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796717300190

Here is a downloadable PDF of these research studies.

Andreas, S., H. Schulz, et al. (2017). "Prevalence of mental disorders in elderly people: The european mentdis_icf65+ study." The British Journal of Psychiatry 210(2): 125-131    http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/210/2/125